“Loved?” Cassidy asked curiously.
Marley sat up and used both of her hands to wipe the tears away as she nodded.
“Gabrien died this morning,” she whispered.
Eleven
We rode in shocked silence all the way back to Marley’s home. I didn’t have the words to properly tell her how sorry I was, especially since she knew that I had two healthy, alive men fighting for my affection.
The SUV pulled up into a large driveway and stopped in front of what I could only describe as a mansion. The driver got out of the car and opened our door to let us out. Marley hopped out first and waited in patient sadness as we grabbed our bags and followed her into her home.
We were greeted by a little boy and a little girl, obviously twins that were excited to meet “Mama’s friends” and looked absolutely nothing like her.
So this is what he looked like, I thought to myself pi
cking up the little boy. I had never met Gabrien even though Mars was my best friend because I was too wrapped up in Mitchell to care about anything else. Now I regretted it so deeply that tears stung my eyes as I looked into the little boy’s face.
“Markos. Alexa. Go outside with your Yaya. You can play with your aunts later,” Marley said grabbing the little boy from my arms and setting him down.
They smiled mischievously as they held hands and ran out into the backyard.
“Yaya?” I asked curiously.
“Grandmother. His mom is outside just staring into the sky wondering how this could have happened,” she replied quietly, crossing her arms across her chest.
I nodded and Marley took our bags. She said she would take them to the guest rooms (yes; this house was so big it had guest rooms) and that we could settle in after we met his family. Sofia and Cassidy followed Marley, but I stood there and glanced at all of the pictures in the opulent living room. One in particular caught my attention. It was of Marley leaning against an extraordinary handsome man and both were smiling with such genuine happiness that I felt like my heart was being ripped out.
I walked over and stared at the picture that was hanging on the wall and stared at him. This was Gabrien; the love of Marley’s life that saved her from such an abusive relationship and loved her with the big heart that gave out too soon.
He was gorgeous to say the least. Light green eyes, black shiny hair, and one of the strongest faces I had ever seen. Marley looked so out of place in the picture with all her tattoos on her arms, the new chest piece she must’ve gotten in Greece and her short blonde, wild hair. The size difference was so apparent even though they were sitting that I smiled briefly. But they looked like they were so in love and so happy that I couldn’t help but feel a little jealous.
“Hello,” a man said behind me.
I turned slightly and saw someone that resembled the children slightly and racked my brain to remember the name that Mars told me.
“Dominico, right?” I asked after a moment.
He nodded and gave me a curt smile, “And who might you be?”
“Olivia,” I replied holding out a hand.
He took it and shook it briefly before turning his attention to the picture I had been staring at.
“My brother wanted very much to meet you. Marley spoke of you as family,” he said quietly.
“I’m sorry. I fucked up, I know that I did. I wish I could have met him too. They look so happy in this picture that I feel like I failed them both,” I replied miserably.
“You didn’t,” he said kindly. “He and Marley both understood that not all things were possible. But I am grateful that you managed to come now. She needs you desperately.”
I nodded and brushed away a stray tear. How was it possible that this man had just lost his brother and he was more concerned about Marley? It all made sense to me as to why she loved Gabrien so deeply if he was as kind as his brother.
“I’d like to introduce you to my mother,” he said.
I tore my eyes away from the picture and followed him out into the backyard that was more like their own personal football field. But while I wondered how it was possible to have so much property I recalled Marley telling me something about his family getting their money from imports or something like that.
I pushed my hair behind my ears as Dominico led me to a woman with the same shiny dark hair as Gabrien, a few streaks of gray showing through it.
He knelt down next to her and put a hand on her arm and said something to her in Greek. She looked at him slowly before she got to her feet and turned around to face me. To say that she and Gabrien looked alike would be a gross understatement. To say that I now knew what little Alexa would like when she was a woman would be the most truthful statement I could ever make.